Why the first snow in Kashmir melts, and breaks, my heart
Winter is the best time to be in Kashmir.
I’d begin with Amir Khusrau’s couplet:
“Agar firdaus bar-ru-e-zamiñ ast
hamiñ ast o hamiñ ast o hamiñ ast”
(If there is a paradise on earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this).
This is what he said about Kashmir.
Kashmir is the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. A valley lying between the great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range. Full of snow-capped mountains, forests, lush green meadows, silvery rivers. Every inch of this place is picturesque. It seems truly like God’s own place.
Owing to the beauty of the state, J&K is rightfully India’s prized asset — its jewelled crown.
Kashmir and its beauty are multifaceted — offering a different experience in every different season. However, one thing common through all the seasons in Kashmir is that it never stops looking magnificently beautiful.
The Valley comes alive as spring touches it, flooded with blooming trees and flowers. After spring, Kashmir enjoys a pleasant summer. Autumn is the most awaited season in the state, when the entire valley changes from green to gold. Beautiful shades of gold and red carpets of fallen leaves are sights worth seeing in this season, known for its “mists and mellow fruitfulness”.
Then comes the winter.
Winter is when you wake up snuggled with the heater turned on, a time where everything around you takes your breath away.
What is truly so beautiful about winter?
Winter is when nature sleeps — or dies — waiting for spring to come. The peace and quiet of snow is what comes with it. Something changes in the atmosphere — there is intimacy in the air, love, the true meaning of life.
The first snowfall in Kashmir is not just another event — it is magical.
You go to bed in one kind of world, and wake up in another. If this is not enchantment, what is?
Snow in Kashmir has an appearance of purity — an immaculate expanse of light. The snow cloaking the garden looks like it’s waiting for someone to play with it. It is so tempting.
Now, once again, winter is upon us here in Kashmir. The trees are leafless and the amount of sunlight has declined drastically. A cold wave that crossed through the region has changed the widespread dry air to snow. Now, we have to maintain cautious — but curative — contact with Mother Nature.
A ritual I observe during snowfalls is to open the window and peer out meditatively. The cold air brushes against the face, the sky stretches out, the evergreens are covered with snow. This simple exercise assures me of contact with the beauty of nature.
Snow provokes responses that reach right back to our childhood. Even the roaring, rushing blizzards provide views to die for, while there is nothing more majestic than the quiet, snow-clad mountains.
Travelling to Kashmir in this season is an indescribable experience.
In the wintry beauty of nature, there are the traditional heaters — kangris — to keep you warm and cosy. A kangri is an earthen pot, woven around with twigs and filled with burning charcoal. As the ‘kangri’ keeps the body warm, the Kashmiri kehwa and harissa will do the job of warming up your soul.
Kashmir is predominantly a non-vegetarian region, and there are a plethora of dishes to feast on. You must try them!
Snowfall is the best time to be in Kashmir. It signifies the purity of our land. The blessings of Allah. The hope of spring.
Adventurous visitors will have enough to explore in Kashmiri winters.
So will the solitude seekers.